 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2002-12-28 22:32
The note C4 # on my clarinet sounds very "breathy" and indistinct. Is there a solution to this problem? Thanks!
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Author: William
Date: 2002-12-28 23:42
Your C# pad may not be opening far enough. A common problem with beginning clarinetists is in bending the pads key downward so that it does not open properly. Easily corrected by bending it back up where it belongs. A repairperson can quickly correct this problem--do not attempt this adjustment on your own unless you have had previous and successful experiance bending keys.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-12-29 16:48
wjk -
The low register C# hole is too small and placed too high for the best acoustical results. It has to be, since otherwise it would be in the middle joint area. Rossi clarinets, which have a 1-piece body, have the hole in the right place, and it's a great note, rather than a bad one.
It's an adjustment everyone has to learn to make. At least it's not as bad as the throat Bb.
Buffet's great repairman Francois Kloc says the pad is almost always too low. You find the right height by playing low E and opening the key. You should get a multiphonic. If you don't, bend it slightly more open. Then do the same with low F, F#, G and A. You'll almost certainly have to open up the pad quite a bit, and it makes a big difference.
If you still can't live with it, undercitting the hole can help. This is expert work. Don't trust it to the average music store repair tech.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Anonymous
Date: 2002-12-30 15:42
Possibly a pad leak? Not you. Take it to a mechanic and see what they can do.
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